Using precision ground bar? Here are five ways you can save by using this product:
1. Downtime
The greatest cost for a production facility is downtime. If a company is unable to deliver a product to a customer for any reason, the costs can quickly add up. Just think the last time a crane went down. If a customer is not using the right product for the application, downtime will inevitably follow.
Recently, we had a customer purchase a turned, ground, and polished (TG&P) bar from a competitor. The customer tried for three weeks to fit the product into its end application, which was a bearing. Had we known on the front end, we could have supplied a bearing shaft quality (BSQ) bar and saved a considerable amount of time, money, and headache!
Bearing shaft quality (BSQ) bars are produced to a minus/minus tolerance of -0.0005” / -0.0015”. Turned, ground, and polished (TG&P) are produced to a tolerance of +0/-0.001” tolerance. This is an important difference depending on the application.
2. Cycle Time
By choosing the right bar on the front end, a customer can reduce his cycle time or increase his throughput. We have a customer in Dallas who made the switch to a precision ground bar and increased his production by 35%. While CF bars and precision ground bars may look the same on the surface, they perform at different levels.
3. Labor
We all have labor, and it’s important to optimize the output of the labor force. A precision ground bar may remove an internal process step (grinding, cleaning, straightening, etc.) of a company, which will free up time for its employees.
4. Tool Life
Precision ground bar can increase the tool life of equipment. A precision ground bar reduces the vibration of a machine and provides a cleaner cut.
5. Material
The last of the top five machine costs is material and is approximately 20% of all manufacturing cost. While precision ground bars may have an increased material cost compared to what the customer is currently sourcing, the cost savings comes in direct cost savings to the above four items.
As you can see from the top five costs for a machine or manufacturing company, the value of a precision ground bar is much more than its price per pound. It can help reduce downtime, improve cycle time, optimize labor, and increase tool life!